*harpā

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct *harpā "harp" for Proto-West Germanic, and Wiktionary has the same form.^[1][2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *harpǭ (“harp”), which Ringe and Taylor give as Proto-Northwest Germanic *harpōn-,^[1] EWA as *χarpō(n)- and Köbler as *harpō, *harpōn.^[3][4] In Old English the *a was fronted and then broken before *rC: *harpā > *hærpǣ > hearpe.^[1]

Morphology

A feminine noun.^[5] Old English and Old Saxon have a weak n-stem,^[5][6] and Old High German harpfa is an ō- or n-stem.^[3] EWA does not follow Lühr in explaining the Old High German spellings with ⟨ph⟩ beside ⟨f⟩ from an old *-pp- beside *-p-, since the other Germanic languages show no trace of a geminate.^[3]

Evidence

The word is attested in Old English hearpe, Old Saxon harpa and Old High German harpha;^[1] Wiktionary gives Old Frisian only as an unattested *herpe.^[2] In Old Dutch, ONW records ⟨hbrphp⟩ for ⟨harpho⟩, glossing Latin catasta (“rack (for torture)”) in the Northeast Lower Rhenish Prudentius glosses of 951–1000.^[7] Old Saxon harpa glosses the same Latin word,^[6] and Old High German harpfa, recorded from the 9th century, means a harp, lyre or lute but also a torture rack and a pillory.^[3] EWA reports that Late Latin had taken the word from Germanic by the 6th century, when Venantius Fortunatus names the Late Latin harpa as an instrument of the barbarians; it lives on in French harpe and Italian arpa.^[3] Gamillscheg dates French harpe to the 12th century and derives it from a Gothic *harpa.^[8]

Competing analyses

EWA takes the word to be derived from a root meaning "to bend, to shrink", the harp being "what is plucked with bent fingers"; it rejects a link with Old High German ruofen (“to call”) and with Old Norse harfr (“harrow”), and finds a loan from a pre-Indo-European language unnecessary.^[3] Holthausen compares Latin corbis (“basket”),^[9] while Torp called the etymology uncertain.^[10]

Meanings

1. harp^[1][2]

In Old Saxon, Old Dutch and Old High German the word also named an instrument of torture, the rack.^[6][7][3]

Derivatives

• *harpōn "to play the harp", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[11] Old English has hearpian.^[12]

Reflexes

• Old English: hearpe (“harp”)^[9]
• Old Saxon: harpa (“harp, rack”)^[6]
• Old Dutch: harpa (“rack”)^[7]
• Old High German: harpfa (“harp, lyre, lute, rack, pillory”)^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 180
2. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *harpā
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. s.v. harpfa
4. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *harpō
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. hearpe
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. harpa
7. ^ a b c Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. harpa
8. ^ Gamillscheg, Ernst (1966–1969), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der französischen Sprache, 2nd, fully revised ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 551
9. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. hearpe
10. ^ Torp, Alf (1909), Wortschatz der germanischen Spracheinheit (Fick, Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der indogermanischen Sprachen, 4th ed., vol. 3), Göttingen, p. 78
11. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *harpōn
12. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. hearpian